Delegations in the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), before concluding their consideration of the peaceful uses of outer space, weighed the strength of existing international space law to prevent the militarization of outer space and to respond to other current challenges, such as the use of nuclear power sources in outer space and the threat of space debris.

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) until 15 October 2011, with the intention of further renewal. Unanimously adopting resolution 1944 (2010), the Council decided to maintain current Mission force levels and called on the Secretary-General to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the security environment following the election and transfer of power to a new Government in 2011.

The following statement was issued on 13 October by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict told a Security Council meeting this afternoon that the body must seize the opportunity provided by the arrests of perpetrators of recent mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “begin turning the tide of impunity”. “The arrests must serve as a warning to perpetrators of sexual violence everywhere,” Margot Wallström said as she briefed the Council.

Noting with deep concern the increase in violence and rising inter-tribal fighting in Darfur, the Security Council this afternoon extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts that monitors the arms embargo and sanctions on those who impede peace in Sudan, for one year, ending 19 October 2011.

Despite encouraging progress in strengthening the financing for development follow-up process, more must be done to ensure full implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration, delegates in the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) emphasized today.

In the wake of the General Assembly’s renewed commitment to galvanizing political momentum towards implementation of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, it was crucial for international partners to cooperate on redressing the ills of the world’s most strife-ridden continent, said delegates gathered today for their annual joint debate on development in Africa.

A multilateral agreement on nuclear weapons would reflect the belief that such an instrument could prevent the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons and create a climate for negotiating a ban on the use of nuclear weapons and help diminish their role, said India’s representative in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today, upon the introduction of three draft resolutions.

Taking action for the first time during its current session, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today approved a text recommending to the General Assembly the adoption of a resolution setting out United Nations standards for the treatment of women prisoners and non-custodial measures for women offenders, also known as the “Bangkok Rules”.